Prescription Medication Information

Emergency room visits up for drug-related suicide attempts

Use of prescription drugs in particular increased significantly, it says. Attempts involving anti-depressants increased 155% and those with anti-anxiety and insomnia medication rose 93%.

"I think a lot of these people don't see these drugs as dangerous because it's a nice, clean little pill," says Peter Delany, director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality at SAMHSA.

Doctors should ask patients about their mental health as well as their physical health before prescribing drugs, Delany says. "You've got to monitor everybody you have on a medication."

The use of narcotic pain relievers such as hydrocodone and oxycodone in suicide attempts rose 73%, the study says. Prescription drugs accounted for more than 90% of the suicide attempts.

Delany says take-back programs that allow people to get rid of old meds can prevent misuse.

Despite the increase in drug-related suicide attempts, the report may contain one upside.

"It's good to hear that men are coming to the ER," says Paula Clayton, medical director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Often men don't seek help after an overdose or suicide attempt, she says.

Confused by your prescription drug label? You may be on ...

Take a look at your prescription bottle. If you’ve noticed an increasing number of side effects on your prescription label, you aren’t alone.

According to a new study , researchers found that the average prescription drug label lists 70 potential side effects, reported WebMD. On the higher end, one medication in the study listed 525 potential side effects, reported WebMD.

“It’s out of control,” said  Jon Duke , MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, in a phone interview with SmartPlanet.

By looking at almost 5,600 drug labels, researchers were able to see which drugs had the highest list of side effects.

“The greatest number of side effects were found in antidepressants, antiviral medications, and some treatments for Restless Leg Syndrome,” said Duke.

Duke explained that the large number of side effects listed could put an extra burden on doctors, who are obligated to sort through the information in order to make informed decisions about medications on behalf of their patients.

“The current information overload is the rule rather than the exception,” said Duke.

Although Duke pointed out that in the 2006 revision of drug labeling guidelines, the FDA openly discouraged the inclusion of “exhaustive lists of every reported adverse event, no matter how infrequent or minor,” said Duke.

“With current technology, drug labels could be transformed from lengthy static documents to dynamic resources, capable of delivering personalized patient information. Such labels could take into account the individual patient’s medical conditions and highlight those side effects that could be especially dangerous,” reported MyHealthNewsDaily.

The study, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine

Contributing Editor, Healthcare